Big Change Coming for Exeter Me and Ollie's

A new salad bar will be added to the Exeter cafe in the next few weeks.

Owner Roger Elkus decided to make the move after experiencing success with adding salad bars to his other Me and Ollie's locations in Newington and Portsmouth.

The new salad bar in Exeter should be up and running by the end of this month, Elkus said. He said the cafe will likely stay open regular hours as crews install it.

Elkus said he was inspired to put in the new salad bars after thinking about the salad bar trend of the 1970s.

"We really love the 70s," said Elkus, who opened his first Me and Ollie's Bakery on Islington Street in Portsmouth back in 1998. "I'm not really sure why salad bars went by the wayside."

Elkus said customers love the new salad bars in Newington and Portsmouth. It costs $7.50 per pound, and options include Asian noodles, bean salad, and more. The salad bowls are made of compostable material.

Elkus buys his produce from Seacoast farm stands such as Golden Harvest in Kittery, Maine and Saunders in Somersworth. He said his goal is to buy as much locally grown, organic produce as possible. Me and Ollie's is a member of the Seacoast Growers Association, the group that operates weekly farmers markets in Portsmouth, Exeter, Durham and Dover.